You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!
Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
Login
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.
Category: Edible Fruits and Nuts Vegetables Perennials Tropicals and Tender Perennials Vines and Climbers
Height: 12-15 ft. (3.6-4.7 m)
Spacing: 18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Hardiness: USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F) USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F) USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F) USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F) USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)
Sun Exposure: Full Sun Sun to Partial Shade
Danger: Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling
Bloom Color: White/Near White
Bloom Time: Late Fall/Early Winter
Foliage: Herbaceous
Other details: Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
Soil pH requirements: 6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic) 6.6 to 7.5 (neutral) 7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)
this will be my first year growing it but ive been eating it all my life. very good in soups. it is used a lot for cooking (fruits, leaves and roots) in soups in my home country El Salvador.
On Jan 9, 2005, foodiesleuth from Honomu, HI (Zone 11) wrote:
I enjoy eating chayote and have quite a few recipes for it. Let me know if interested I can send them to you. I wrote a small article about them a few years ago. In my native Cuba, my mom made a sweet stuffed chayote, but it was eaten as a side dish and not dessert...Yummy!
On Jan 8, 2005, eje from San Francisco, CA (Zone 10a) wrote:
One of my co-community gardeners grows the spiny form of this vine. It is perennial here, produces very heavily each year and grows to an enormous size, covering whatever is nearby. The fruit get quite large. If you grow it, invest in a very sturdy trellis. Some of the folks in the garden are not so fond of it, due to the fact it tends to spill over the gardener's allotted space and is not particularly attractive.
The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw, texture and flavor are similar to a slightly sweet and starchy, but, much firmer cucumber. I haven't tried cooking it yet, though, I would guess it to be similar to Winter Melon (slightly nutty; but, the sort of thing that primarily soaks up the flavor of whatever you are cooking it in.)
On Oct 9, 2004, Xenomorf from Valley of the Sun, AZ (Zone 9b) wrote:
According to the Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database, there are 6 types (cultivars).
Dark-green-fruited, Pale-green-fruited, Round-fruited, Spiny-fruited, Thin-fruited & White-fruited.
Regional...
This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:
Chowchilla, California Clovis, California San Francisco, California Honomu, Hawaii
